Bowl Recipe: Salmon, Bulgur, Quinoa and Red Cabbage Bowl

Bowls are a recent trend in food where each bowl is a unique dish consisting of different ingredients that include most of the macronutrients essential for our body such as carbohydrates, proteins, fibre and fats. Let's find out more about this new food trend!

Pokè Bowls, Buddha Bowls and Nourish Bowls

Imported to Europe from the United States, these unique dishes incorporate elements from a wide variety of cuisines. Pokè Bowls, for instance, are typical of Hawaiian cuisine and their main ingredient is raw fish. Buddha Bowls on the other hand originate in the Far East and are mainly vegetarian in keeping with the principles of Buddhism (hence the name). Finally, Nourish Bowls can contain cooked meat or fish as well as eggs or cheese. Over time other variations of bowls were created to meet the different tastes and wishes of diners. What all bowls have in common however is the inclusion of nutrient-rich foods as well as an artistic and distinctive way of presentation.

The keyword is creativity!

The ingredients of bowls can vary widely - rice, quinoa, potatoes, legumes, tofu, meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, sprouts, seeds - give your imagination free rein, the sky is the limit! What matters is respecting the proportions of the various food groups in order to meet the nutritional needs of our bodies and to have balanced flavours. Furthermore, all the ingredients should be harmoniously arranged in the bowl and grouped according to the food groups they are part of. This obviously has no impact on the nutritional intake - it is simply a matter of aesthetics. Since we also eat with our eyes, a dish that appeals to us visually tends to arouse positive emotions and is therefore "good for us".

The right proportions

As mentioned earlier, bowls must contain ingredients from all the food groups. But in what proportion? It is actually pretty simple - it's based on the famous food pyramid that is recommended by nutritionists and health experts everywhere. Accordingly, fibre and vitamins (vegetables) should make up about half the dish, carbohydrates and proteins about 20% each and finally a smaller portion of fats. We should bear in mind that condiments also add a considerable amount of nutrients and usually add to the share of fats.

And that's it! Now that you know a little about bowls, it's time to unleash your creativity and compose your own bowls. We present a recipe here that you can use as a template for your own creations.

Recipe: Salmon, Bulgur, Quinoa and Red Cabbage Bowl

Ingredients for 2 people:

• 160 g bulgur and quinoa, mixed
• 100 g red cabbage
• 200 g fresh salmon
• Olive oil
• Soy sauce
• Salt

Method:

• Cook the bulgur and quinoa according to the directions on the package and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the red cabbage and season with salt and olive oil.
• Cut the salmon into cubes and sear in a hot pan with a little olive oil for 3 seconds per side.
• Carefully arrange the ingredients in your bowls, taking care to keep the individual ingredients separate.
• Season to taste with soy sauce.
• Enjoy!

Recipe and photo by bm_thelittlecaper.